A Bold Plan to Transform Access to the US Social Safety Net | Amanda Renteria | TED

翻译人员: Alvin Lee 校对人员: Lexi Ding

父亲教我的第一课是，

My dad's first lesson to me was,

"Look people in the eye, mi hija,

“要注视人的眼睛，我的女儿，

make sure people see you and you see them."

确保你们能看见彼此。”

He has been a proud janitor, farm worker, shoe shiner,

他曾是自豪的看门人， 农场工人，擦鞋匠，

home builder and small business owner.

建筑工人和小老板。

He has seen the world from so many different lenses

他从各个角度观察过这个世界，

and has lots of stories to tell.

有很多故事值得分享。

But there's one I've never been able to get out of my head.

但有一个我一直无法忘怀。

A story when my dad was a young kid.

当年我父亲还是个孩子。

He and my tio Milo knew exactly when the trucks would come in.

他和我米罗叔叔非常清楚 卡车什么时候来。

Under the freeway, just as the sun set,

就在太阳下山的时候，在高速公路下，

they jumped the fence to get into the dump.

他们翻越护栏，待在碎石堆上。

And as they waited for the trucks,

在等卡车的时候，

他们会打赌谁能找到最棒的食物。

they'd make bets on who would find the best food.

An uneaten apple they could clean,

有时候是一个没吃过的苹果，洗洗就行，

a perfect banana, sometimes a candy bar or a wrapped sandwich.

一根完整的香蕉，有时是一块糖 或者一个三明治卷。

And then they'd grab whatever they could find,

无论找到什么，他们都会拿着，

and save the very best to bring home

并且把最好的带回家，

to their even younger brothers and sisters.

给自己更年幼的弟弟妹妹。

I hate that story.

我很讨厌这个故事。

但我会分享出来，

But I share it

because we can't solve what we can't see.

因为只有看到问题，才能解决它。

In 1936,

1936 年，

this image of the migrant mother

这张移民母亲的照片，

captured the living conditions in the West,

展现了西部的生存状态，

向立法者们展示了人民在经历什么。

showing lawmakers what people were going through.

After it published,

这张照片被公布后，

the United States government sent 20,000 pounds of food,

美国政府提供了 2 万磅食物，

and that image solidified support

这张照片巩固了

for the very first safety-net programs in America.

人们对美国第一个安全保障计划的支持。

Yet still today, more than 37 million Americans are still living in poverty.

然而到了今天，超过 3700 万 美国人依旧生活在贫困中。

One in six kids.

每 6 个孩子中就有 1 个。

As a student of economics and a career public servant,

作为一名学经济的学生 和一名政府公务人员，

I know we've been at this for a long time.

我知道这种情况在美国由来已久。

But it's my work today that has given me the hope

但是我目前的工作才给了我希望，

that we can finally end poverty as we know it.

我们能够最终战胜贫穷。

And here's why.

下面我来讲讲原因。

Right now, there are 80 public benefit programs

目前，全国范围内有 80 个

all across the country,

公益项目，

intended to provide critical anti-poverty resources.

旨在提供战胜贫困的重要资源。

然而每年有大约 600 亿美元的福利

Yet an estimated 60 billion dollars in benefits

无人认领。

go unclaimed every year.

Sixty billion.

600 亿美元啊。

我认为很大一部分原因，

I believe, in large part, due to complicated,

outdated systems

在于复杂、陈旧的系统

that weren't designed to see the people they serve.

看不见它理应服务的人。

I want you to imagine for a moment that you lost your job,

请大家想象一下，你失业了，

and you don't know how you're going to put food on the table.

你不知道下一顿饭在哪里。

但你听说有一个政府项目可以帮你。

But you hear about this government program that can help.

于是你开始申请。

And you begin the process of applying.

但你立刻会发现

The first thing you realize is

你没法用你仅有的 上网工具——手机来申请，

you can't do it on the only online connection you have, your phone,

because the only way to apply online is through a desktop computer.

因为所谓的“在线申请” 只能通过电脑完成。

So you head to the community library, you go through screen after screen,

于是你跑到社区图书馆， 翻了一个又一个网页，

answering close to 200 questions,

回答了差不多 200 个问题，

wading through confusing instructions.

翻阅了令人迷惑的操作指南。

It feels a little bit like a game of gotcha,

那感觉有点像在玩捉迷藏，

except your benefits are at risk.

但不同的是，你的福利岌岌可危。

Now, if you're from a place like my hometown,

如果你来自乡下的小镇，

a small rural farming town,

就像我老家一样，

there isn't an easily accessible public venue with desktop computers.

你都很难找到一个提供电脑的公共机构。

So you have to find a ride to the nearest social services office,

于是你需要找车去最近的 社会服务办公室，

maybe 30 miles away.

可能大概有 50 公里远。

When you get there,

等你到那儿了，

you have to walk through metal detectors with two security guards,

你还要过安检仪， 旁边站着 2 个安保人员，

past a long table of scattered paper forms into the main waiting room.

穿过布满各种表格的长条桌进入等候室。

It's loud, and there's a long line leading to that service counter.

那里人声嘈杂，柜台前排着长队。

When you get to the front of it,

好不容易排到你了，

you're met with a thick, clouded sheet of bulletproof glass

你发现面前还有一块厚厚的、 模糊的防弹玻璃，

separating you from someone who could finally help.

挡在你和最终能帮你的人中间。

That has been the system in America for many communities like mine.

像我老家一样，这就是美国 很多社区的服务体系。

So it's no wonder that 14 million Americans aren't enrolled

难怪有 1400 万美国人

in child and food nutrition programs,

没有参加儿童和食品营养计划，

or that six million are missing health care benefits.

难怪有 600 万美国人 没有享受医保福利。

技术改变了我们生活的方方面面。

Technology has changed almost every aspect of our lives.

It's made things faster, more efficient, automatic.

它让一切事物都更快、 更高效、更自动化。

We need to do the same for people seeking benefits.

对那些申请福利的人， 我们也需要这么做。

I work for an organization called Code for America.

我在一家叫“为美国编程”的组织工作。

We deploy human-centered technology,

我们部署以人为本的技术，

这些技术会尊重你，

the kind that respects you from the start,

meets you where you are,

会满足你的需求，

provides an easy, positive experience.

提供轻松、积极的体验。

And our research has shown

我们的研究显示，

有 4 个因素我们需要考虑到。

there are four factors we need to overcome.

首先，我们清楚，使用手机上网的人，

First, we know that far more people have access to the internet

on their phone than a desktop computer.

比用电脑上网的人要多得多。

So applications should be online and mobile-friendly.

因此申请表需要放在网上 而且方便手机访问。

Second, lots of people are falling off because the process is complicated.

第二，很多人没有完成申请 是因为流程太复杂。

So applications need to be simple and easy to use.

因此申请表需要简单易用。

Third, we know that people who are eligible for one program,

第三，我们知道需要某项社会保障的人，

like food assistance,

比如食品援助，

are pretty likely to be eligible for another, like health care.

也很大可能需要另外的项目， 比如健康医疗。

So let's combine processes where we can.

因此我们尽可能把流程合并。

And finally, we know there are unseen heroes in government --

最后，我们知道政府部门 有很多无名英雄，

caseworkers, social workers --

比如项目工作者，社工，

on the front lines, navigating old systems.

他们身处一线，指导人们使用旧系统。

We can equip them with the data and tools to streamline their efforts.

我们可以用数据和工具 武装他们，提升他们的效率。

Here's what California's food assistance used to look like.

这是加利福尼亚州食品援助以前的样子。

183 questions, 51 pages of screens available only by desktop computer.

183 个问题，51 页表格， 只能通过电脑访问。

We took that application and redesigned it.

我们将这个申请表进行了改进。

This is GetCalFresh,

而这是 “加州粮食券计划“ （GetCalFresh），

a mobile-first application available 24 hours a day

一个手机优先的应用，24 小时在线，

in multiple languages, with chat support.

多语言版本，有客服支持。

（掌声）

(Applause)

California's food assistance application

加利福尼亚州食品援助申请

从全国最复杂的表格之一

went from one of the most complex in the nation

to being recognized as one of the easiest application experiences of any state.

摇身一变成为全国 最简单易用的申请程序。

For 10 years we had been working with multiple states

过去 10 年，我们和许多州一起合作

on projects just like that,

完成类似的项目，

showing the importance and potential of digital delivery of benefits.

展示了用数字化手段 做福利的重要性和潜力。

然后，疫情来了。

And that's when the pandemic hit.

And these images in West Valley, Utah; San Antonio, Texas;

这些画面分别是犹他州的西谷， 得克萨斯州的圣安东尼奥，

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

宾夕法尼亚州的匹兹堡。

Parking lots filled with families waiting for food.

停车场里挤满了等待食物的家庭。

America could finally see what we had been seeing for a decade.

美国终于见到了过去十几年 我们一直见到的情景。

The growing number of people in poverty and communities left out

因为系统失灵，越来越多的人陷入贫困，

越来越多的社区得不到救助。

as a result of failing systems.

Our phone started ringing.

我们的电话响个不停。

From Washington to Maryland,

从华盛顿到马里兰，

we helped states distribute 600 million dollars in benefits

我们帮助各州给学龄儿童午餐计划

to kids in school lunch programs.

分发了 6 亿美元的福利款。

路易斯安那州运用我们的 最佳实践工具来通知民众。

Louisiana used our best practices tools in notifying people.

They proactively sent out more than 40 million texts to residents

他们主动给居民发送了 超过 4 千万条短信，

on how to access critical services.

教他们如何获得关键服务。

And in Minnesota, we developed an all-in-one application

在明尼苏达州，我们开发了一款APP，

for nine different safety-net benefits.

将9种不同的安全保障福利集中到一起。

That can be completed in less than 14 minutes.

不到 14 分钟就可以全部申请完。

（掌声）

(Applause)

Nearly 200,000 people immediately applied in the first six months.

最初半年内，就有近 20 万人 迅速完成了申请。

有史以来第一次，

And for the first time ever,

Minnesota's system integrated to reach all sovereign tribal nation members.

明尼苏达州的系统整合到了一起， 为所有独立的部落成员提供服务。

（掌声）

(Applause)

That's what is possible,

这是可能实现的，

而现在，正是我们继续向前的时机，

and this is the moment to keep going,

redesigning our safety net for a new time and a new age.

为新时代重新设计安全保障体系。

And we can do it all across the country, as governments reset.

随着政府的重启， 我们能在全国范围内实现它。

在接下来的 7 年里，

Over the next seven years,

we will partner to redesign systems to unlock 30 billion dollars in benefits

我们将合伙参与系统的重新设计， 解锁 300 亿美元的福利款，

for 13 million eligible people in at least 15 states.

惠及至少 15 个州的 1300 万有资格的民众。

We will bring data scientists and engineers,

我们将引入数据科学家和工程师，

technologists and researchers together,

技术专家和研究人员，

sitting side by side with government teams.

和政府团队并肩作战。

And our Safety Net Innovation Lab will improve upon and share best practices

我们的安全保障创新实验室 将改进并分享最佳实践，

so that every government can benefit.

让每个政府都获益。

Because at the heart of our audacious goal

因为我们这个大胆目标的核心，

is to show the world what’s possible when we use the best tools we have today:

就是向世界展示， 当我们使用当今最好的工具：

human-centered technology and government.

也就是以人为本的 技术和政府时，会发生什么。

So that families aren’t waiting in parking lots for resources.

家庭不用在停车场等候发放物资。

Or kids,

小孩子，

growing up like my dad,

就像我父亲一样，

aren't searching for food by whatever means possible.

不必再用尽一切办法去找吃的。

Then, then we will see

只有这样，我们才能看到

the true potential of every kid.

每个孩子真正的潜力。

这就是时代的呼唤， 让我们重新设计我们的系统，

And that's the calling of this moment to redesign our systems

to see people, all people.

确保民众都能被看到，无一例外。

Thank you.

谢谢大家。

(Applause and cheers)

（掌声和欢呼声）